Visual educational device



I Jan. 3, 1939.

P. F. BOSTON VISUAL EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Filed July 16, 1938 Z'Sheets-Sheet l 'INVENTOR.

ORNEYS.

PHI/L f. .Basram 1 B f j? A Jan. 3, 1939. P. F. BOSTON VISUAL EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Filed July 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m m w m Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES VISUAL EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Paul F. Boston, Greencastle,,.1nd., assignor of one-half to John B. Boyd, Greencastle, Ind.

Application July 16, 1938, Serial No. 219,553

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a display device which is particularly useful for educational purposes.

The device makes use of a box-like container in which there are placed a number of display cards so arranged that when said container is rotated said cards are successively displayed through one or more apertures therein. Each time the container is rotated, the card just shown moves by gravity from its position behind the display aperture and another card takes its place. Such containers have heretofore been used for display purposes and. have either been manually turned or have been continuously rotated by a motor or other power device.

One object of the invention is to adapt this type of display device to educational purposes such, for example, as drill in the multiplication table or similar mathematical problems. For such uses, manual operation and continuous operation are unsatisfactory, the first, because the time of display of each problem is irregular so that no accurate measure of results can be obtained and the second, because the continuously moving display is not suitable for uniform observation from all parts of the classroom, the display becoming visible for certain parts of the classroom before others. Furthermore, continuous movement distracts the attention of the children from the problem. To overcome these difficulties, there is provided in the present invention time controlled means by which the card displaying each problem is held in a stationary display position for a predetermined length of time and the turning movement for bringing another card into position is then rapidly accomplished. By this means, each of the problems may be displayed for a uniform period during which the card is equally visible from all parts of the classroom and the students may concentrate their attention on a stationary object rather than a moving one. Preferably, the time control is made variable so that the time of display may be shortened as proficiency in the drill increases.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means by which the intermittent turning of the card containerrmay be' accomplished. To this end the invention includes as one feature the specific form of operating mechanism hereinafter described.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a complete device embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the same with the rear panel of the cabinet removed to show the interior construction. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical central section of one of the card containers used with this form of the device. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one of the display cards for use with said container.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings by way of illustration, the device is housed in a cabinet consisting of a baseboard ill, a top H, sides I2, rear panel l3 and front panel M. The rear panel is preferably removable to permit access to the interior of the cabinet.

Within the cabinet there is provided a frame consisting of a pair of upright members I5 and i6 formed integrally with a cross member 51 and secured to the baseboard l0 and top H of the cabinet. A U-shaped receiver 18 is carried by a pair of trunnions l9 and 20 which are rotatably mounted on the frame members [5 and iii. Card containers 2|, best illustrated in Fig. 5, are provided with shallow grooves 22 on their sides and on one end and said grooves are of the proper shape to fit the receiver 18. A hook 23 is pivotally mounted on one end of each container and is adapted to grasp a pin 24 mounted on the undersurface of the receiver. The front panel M is cut away as shown at 25 in Figs. 1 and 2 and the top H is cut away as shown at 26 in Fig. 3. Ihus, the container, when mounted in the receiver I8, is visible from the front of the cabinet and may be rotated about the axis of the trunnions l9 and 20 without interference with any part of the cabinet. Preferably, a number of the containers are provided, each stocked with cards presenting a different series of problems. By the construction just described a container may easily be removed by unfastening the hook 23 and another one may be put in place and secured by the same means.

Each container 2! consists of a rectangular box divided by a partition 27 into upper and lower compartments, each of which contains a number of display cards 28 shown in perspective in Fig. 6. Said cards preferably are of pas'teboard or other suitable material and have mounted on the edges thereof wooden or metallic runners 29 for reinforcement and for properly spacing the cards within the container.

The thickness of the runners 29 is such that a definite number of cards may be placed in each of .the compartments of the container 2|. For

example, as shown in Fig. 4, each of said compartments is of proper size to freely contain fourteen of the cards and their attached runners. The number of cards supplied in the container is one less than the capacity of the two compartments. The lower compartment is normally completely filled while the upper compartment has one vacant space. As the container is rotated in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 4, the lower compartment becomes the upper compartment and during each half revolution a card slides from the former lower compartment through one of a pair of openings 30 provided in the partition 21 into the vacant space in the lower compartment. To assist in guiding the cards in their sliding movement, the ends of the runners are beveled as shown at 3| in Fig. 6.

Each of the compartments is provided with a display opening 32, the opening for the lower compartment being visible from the front of the cabinet and that for the upper compartment being turned inwardly out of sight. In Fig. 4, the cards are shown in position just at the completion of a half revolution in which the card 28a last displayed is sliding downwardly into its new position in the new lower compartment and in which another card 28b is now in position for display. By repeatedly turning the container through successive half revolutions, both faces of each card may be displayed and all the cards may be successively shown.

The apparatus for rotating the card containers 2| consists of an electric motor 33 which is connected to the trunnion 2|! through suitable reduction gears contained in a housing-34 and through a flexible coupling 35. Preferably the speed of the motor 33 is such that the container 2| is turned as rapidly as iscompatible with proper operation of the cards.

For timing the turning operations of the containers 2|, there is provided a variable speed motor 36, the speed of which may be controlled by a rheostat 31 suitably connected in circuit therewith and adjustable by means of a knob 38 accessible from the front of the cabinet. The

motor 36 drives a shaft 39 through suitable reduction gears carried in a housing 40. The shaft 39 carries a finger 4| adapted to engage a collar 42 carried upon a vertical stem 43. Said stem is slidably mounted in a bracket 44 secured to the frame member I 5 and the upper end thereof passes through an opening in a lever 45 which is pivotally mounted at 46 on a rearwardly extending portion of the frame l5. The stem 43 carries a pin 41 adapted to engage the upper surface of said lever. The lever 45 has a hooked portion 48 engaging a cam disc 49 carried by the trunnion l9. Thelever 45 has secured to its rearward end a piece of insulating material 59 to which there is connected a tension spring 5| secured at its opposite end to a resilient electrical contact leaf 52. Said leaf is adapted when drawn downwardly by the spring 5| to engage a second contact leaf 53 and both of said leaves are mounted on, and suitably insulated from, the frame member l5. The contact leaves 52 and 53 constitute an electric switch in the circuit of the motor 33.

Electrical power for driving the motors 33 and 36 is preferably obtained by means of a plug 55 which may be inserted in any suitable receptacle connected to a source of electrical current. The plug 55 is connected by a cord 56 to a terminal block 51 within the cabinet. One terminal of said block is connected by a conductor 58 to a snap switch 59 mounted on the front panel l4 and having its operating lever 60 accessible from the front of the panel. The opposite terminal of the switch 59 is connected by a conductor 6| to one terminal of the rheostat 31 which is also connected by a conductor 62 to the contact leaf 53. Contact leaf 52 is connected by a conductor 63 to one terminal of the motor 33, the opposite terminal of which is connected by a conductor 64 to the second terminal of the block 51. Through the circuit just traced the motor 33 is operated Whenever switch 59 is closed and contact leaves 52 and 53 are in engagement.

The circuit for the motor 36 leads from the block 51 through the conductor 58, switch 59, conductor 6|, rheostat 31 and a conductor 65 to the motor 36 and thence through a conductor 66 to the second terminal of the block 51. Thus the motor 36 is operated whenever the switch 59 is closed and the speed thereof may be adjusted by means of the rheostat 31.

In the operation of the device, one of the containers 2| with appropriate display cards is latched in position on the receiver I8, the rheostat knob 38 is adjusted to a graduation indicating the desired timing of the display periods. At the start of the operation, the container is normally in one of its vertical display positions and the hooked portion 48 of lever 45 engages one of a pair of notches 54 in the cam disc 49 and thus restrains the container against rotation. Switch 59 is then closed by its lever 66 to start the motor 36 which is then continuously operated to bring the finger 4| periodically into engagement with the collar 42. When this engagement takes place, the stem 43 is pressed downwardly and operates the lever 45 to remove the hooked portion thereof from the notch 54, thus freeing the container 2| for rotation. At the same time, the lever 45 draws the spring 5| downwardly and engages the contact leaf 52 with the leaf 53. This engagement completes the circuit for starting the motor 33. 7 Before said motor has rotated the container 2| through a half revolution, the finger 40 leaves the collar 4| but the hooked portion 48 of lever 45 is then riding on the outer surface of the cam disc 49 and thus prevents the contact leaf 52 from breaking its engagement with the leaf 53. As soon, however, as the half revolution is complete, the hook 48 enters the second of the notches 54, thus permitting the contact leaf 52 to separate by its own resilience from the leaf 53. The motor 33 is thus stopped and the container 2| is held in its new display position by the engagement of the hook 48 with the notch 54. The. container remains in its new display position until finger 40 again strikes the collar 4| whereupon another reversal of the container takes place accompanied by a change in the card displayed.

In the illustrative example shown herein, 27 of the cards 28 are used. These cards carry appropriate legends on both faces and the provision of display apertures in both compartments of the container permits both sides of each card to be shown. Thus there are 54 problems-which are presented in sequence before the first problem is repeated. If a display aperture were provided in one of the compartments only and the corresponding notch 54 were omitted from the cam disc 49, obviously the device would make a complete revolution at each operation and only one face of each card would be shown. For that reason I do not wish to limit the scope of the invention to a container with two display apertures turning a half revolution at each operation. 7

Other variations in the structure herein illustrated will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention finds an important use in the lower grades of the common schools where the first principles of arithmetic are taught. In such use, a container may be stocked with a series of cards carrying a pro-arranged series of problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. A marking on the container such as the X shown at 61 in Fig. 1 indicates which operation is to be performed. The cards may be selected with reference to the state of training of the children, the simpler problems being shown to beginners. Slips of paper are provided with numbered spaces in which the pupils may enter the answers to the problems in the order in which they are shown. The device is operated relatively slowly at first and the speed of motor 36 is gradually stepped up as the children attain proficiency in solving a given group of problems. It has been found that the use of the device greatly increases the interest of the children in the subject taught. Beating the apparatus comes to be a sort of game in which they take part with evident pleasure. The interest may be increased by announcing the speed setting of the apparatus before or after a series is run. Such an announcement arouses in the pupils a desire to do it a little: faster next time. It has been found also that the use of the apparatus, by introducing the time factor, eliminates many of the time consuming processes, such as counting on the fingers, which children sometimes contrive for solving arithmetic problems. While arithmetical problems are peculiarly adapted to the use of the device, obviously it may be used for other subjects as well.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a display device of the type having a rotatably mounted container carrying a plurality of display cards arranged to move successively into position behind a display aperture therein as said container is rotated, the combination of a motor for turning said container, an electric circuit for energizing said motor, timing means controlling the operation of said circuit to energize said motor at predetermined time intervals, and other means controlling the operation of said circuit to stop said motor when said container has been turned sufiiciently to display another card.

2. In a display device 'of the type having a rotatably mounted container carrying a plurality of display cards arranged to move successively into position behind a display aperture therein as said container is rotated, the combination of a motor for turning said container, an electric circuit for energizing said motor, a switch in said circuit, a variable speed motor, switch closing means periodically operated by said variable speed motor to close said switch to start the first mentioned motor, and other means retaining said switch in closed position until said container has been turned sufiiciently to display another card and then opening said switch.

3. In a display device of the type having a rotatably mounted container carrying a plurality of display cards arranged to move successively into position behind a display aperture therein as said container is rotated, the combination of a motor for turning said container, an electric circuit for energizing said motor, a switch in said circuit, a variable speed motor, switch closing means periodically operated by said variable speed motor to close said switch to start the first mentioned motor, and means for controlling the speed of said variable speed motor to vary the time periods between operations of said first mentioned motor.

4. In a display device of the type described, a U-shaped receiver mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a box-like display card container having recesses fitting the legs of Said U- shaped receiver, means detachably securing said container on said receiver with said legs fitted in said recesses, and means for intermittently rotating said receiver and the container carried thereby about said axis.

5. In a display device of the type described, a frame structure, a receiver having a pair of horizontal trunnions pivotally mounted on said frame structure, a display card container detachably secured to said receiver, a turning motor operatively connected to one of said trunnions for turning said receiver and container, a cam disc secured to one of said trunnions and having one or more notches therein, a lever having a portion normally engaging one of said notches to retain said receiver and container in a display position, an electric switch operated by said lever, said switch being open when said lever engages one of said notches and closed when said lever is withdrawn therefrom, an electric circuit including said switch and adapted to start said motor when said switch is closed, a timing motor, and means operated by said timing motor for periodically operating said lever to withdraw the same from said notch and to close said switch.

PAUL F. BOSTON. 

